Hitting Philosophies

[CycloneSoftball22]

There arent a lot of hitting instructors in our area , but there is one that most of the local girls go to. She pretty much teaches what I have seen in some of Mike Candrea's instrucitonal videos. The results for younger hitters seem to be pretty good. But , I am hearing a lot of opinions that seem to contradict some of this instruction. Where do most of you stand on the "Candrea" type instruction ?


Sportskool

 

[Chris O'Leary]

This is a good overview of what people used to teach. Some problems...

1. He advocates a door knocker knuckle grip but doesn't use it himself and immediately backs away from it when he talks about splitting the difference.
2. There are problems with having a 90 degree angle in the front elbow at set-up.
3. A HUGE problem is that, at 8:40 or so, he talks about how loading the hands and striding at the same time is bad because it creates separation. In truth, good hitters load and stride at the same precisely because it creates separation. Doing what he says will kill a hitter's power.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

This is a good overview of what people used to teach. Some problems...

1. He advocates a door knocker knuckle grip but doesn't use it himself and immediately backs away from it when he talks about splitting the difference.
2. There are problems with having a 90 degree angle in the front elbow at set-up.
3. A HUGE problem is that, at 8:40 or so, he talks about how loading the hands and striding at the same time is bad because it creates separation. In truth, good hitters load and stride at the same precisely because it creates separation. Doing what he says will kill a hitter's power.

I guess this is where some of my confusion comes in. I picked up a hitting DVD at the University of Tennesse camp last year and the Weekly's are teaching the same sort of things. How could it be that several high level coaches teach these things , but many believe it to be wrong? No wonder my 12 year old DD gets confused.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I guess this is where some of my confusion comes in. I picked up a hitting DVD at the University of Tennesse camp last year and the Weekly's are teaching the same sort of things. How could it be that several high level coaches teach these things , but many believe it to be wrong? No wonder my 12 year old DD gets confused.

Look at the video and see what that tells you.

Most of these ideas are easy to verify, and debunk, with just a few minutes of studying video.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Look at the video and see what that tells you.

Most of these ideas are easy to verify, and debunk, with just a few minutes of studying video.

Not arguing with you , just trying to clear up some of my confusion. Do we tell these girls to not listen to the high level coaches when they are teaching something?

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Not arguing with you , just trying to clear up some of my confusion. Do we tell these girls to not listen to the high level coaches when they are teaching something?

If it doesn't match up with what (their own) video shows, you do.

I don't know if I've told this story here, but my top baseball client is Andres Torres, who plays CF for the San Francisco Giants. We met when he decided to stop listening to his coaches and started studying what great hitters actually do. He decided to study Pujols, came across my stuff, and I helped him rethink everything he thought he knew about hitting.

Whenever he'd start to waver about going against everything he had been taught, I told him to stop doubting and start looking at the video and see (and decide) for himself what it shows.

The bottom line is that it takes courage, but that courage should be fortified by your ability to see things with your own eyes.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Really ? Do you think parents are going to listen to me when I say "Dont pay much attention to what an Olympic or high level college coach says , lets concentrate on some things I read on the Internet and I think I see on video? Probably wont work.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Really ? Do you think parents are going to listen to me when I say "Dont pay much attention to what an Olympic or high level college coach says , lets concentrate on some things I read on the Internet and I think I see on video? Probably wont work.

I doubt if others are going to listen to you, but at least you will have good information and your daughter will be better for it (and will have an advantage). You will be able to help her and to know what coaches and instructors will be able to help her.

The issue is that too few people have the confidence to trust themselves and what they can see with their own eyes (if they'd only look).

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

I doubt if others are going to listen to you, but at least you will have good information and your daughter will be better for it (and will have an advantage). You will be able to help her and to know what coaches and instructors will be able to help her.

The issue is that too few people have the confidence to trust themselves and what they can see with their own eyes (if they'd only look).

That might be true , but there are SO MANY differing philosophies (even just on this site) , it isnt easy to distinguish who is actually right and who is just trying to promote themselves as an expert. Everybody thinks they have the answers. I mean , there are a couple on here that I agree with and then there are a few that I find utterly ridiculous. I watch and study the same videos and dont necessarily see what they SAY they see. Does that make me wrong? Does it make them wrong? IDK

 

[Chris O'Leary]

That might be true , but there are SO MANY differing philosophies (even just on this site) , it isnt easy to distinguish who is actually right and who is just trying to promote themselves as an expert. Everybody thinks they have the answers.

The test is whether their ideas hold up to what video shows.

Most ideas fall apart with even the most cursory inspection.

It is harder because some stuff gets heavy into physics and physiology, but that's generally only 5% or so of the stuff.

The rest of the stuff is verifiable with a few videos.